Millions of fans were crushed in 2006, when world renowned metal/hard rock band System of a Down announced that they would be taking a break from recording and tour dates. However, after five long years of waiting, System of a Down has come roaring back to the music scene, announcing a concert schedule for their 2011 worldwide reunion tour. Fans looking to catch System of a Down on their upcoming concert schedule better act fast, as tickets will likely sellout soon. System of a Down - also known as SOAD or System for short - was formed in 1994 and consisted of Serj Tankian as the band's vocalist, Daron Malakian on guitar, Shavo Odadjian on bass, and Ontronik "Andy" Khachaturian. Khachaturian suffered a hand injury in 1997 and was replaced by John Dolyman, the current and much beloved drummer. The band has a unique sound, often alternating between melodic stanzas and explosive metal riffs. Their self-titled debut album - following their deal with American/Columbia Records in 1998 - piqued the interest of metal heads around the country, with their single "Spiders" invading airwaves. System of a Down began playing tour dates with heavy hitting metal bands like Slayer and Metallica as well as making appearances on the Ozzfest concert schedule. It wasn't until the release of their second album Toxicity in 2001 that things really started to get out of hand for SOAD. The band had planned to release the album at a free concert date in a parking lot in Hollywood, to thank their fans for all their support. The expected crowd of 3,500 quickly turned into nearly 10,000 and was shut down by the police, creating an angry mob that began stealing the band's gear, destroying property, and assaulting both police and each other. Toxicity quickly shot to the top of the charts and the album has since gone multi-platinum. System of a Down's third record is titled Steal This Album! and contains previously unreleased tracks from Toxicity; the album was prompted by fans pirating these leaked tracks off the internet, hence the album title. System of a Down's next project was a double album, released separately six months apart. Mezmerize released first in May 2005 and was an instant success with both fans and critics. Hypnotize released in November or 2005 and debuted at number one on the charts, making System of a Down one of the only bands in history to debut two number one records in the same year. System of a Down announced in May 2006 that they would be taking a break to work on independent projects. Now, five years later, SOAD has announced that they will be reuniting for a concert tour throughout various music festivals in Europe with gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello. There will also be warm-up concert dates in North America with tour dates beginning May 10, 2011. Within a few short weeks, concerts have sold out in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Paris with tickets for the rest of the concert schedule still available. The last US concert will be in Irvine on March 25, and the tour will conclude on June 21 in Moscow, so fans should get their tickets in a hurry.
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